Screenshots of a version of Android that could be an ‘L’ version leak through Chromium Issue Tracker

A new version of Android with a name beginning with ‘L’ is definitely on the way, the new version, which includes an API Level tentatively, at this stage, named level ‘L’ was recently merged to the Android Open Source Project main branch. Now reddit user Doopl has found screenshots which feature a telling ‘L’ in the status bar of an issue logged on the Chromium Issue Tracker.

As you can see the screenshot shows a slightly different login dialog box for Chrome than we’re used to in Android 4.4. It also shows some interesting new changes to the notification bar. For a start the gradient appears different. The mute sound is now a bell with a strikethrough atop, changed from the speaker with a strikethrough that we’re used to. There also seems to be a change to the way the status and navigation bars are rendered, with no gradient on either.

These screenshots show a similar tone with a debug version of a ‘K’ version of Android which leaked last year prior to the launch of KitKat. Those screenshots showed a graphic of a KeyLime Pie, back when that code name was thought to be the official ‘K’ release. The ‘K’ or ‘L’ icon appears generally when a phone is connected to a PC in debug mode, which seems to be the case here.

With Google I/O this week, we hope to hear something on an ‘L’ version of Android, which would of course mean a new reference device for the latest version. We’ll soon find out.

Daniel Tyson

Dan is a die-hard Android fan. Some might even call him a lunatic. He's been an Android user since Android was a thing, and if there's a phone that's run Android, chances are he owns it (his Nexus collection is second-to-none) or has used it.

Dan's dedication to Ausdroid is without question, and he has represented us at some of the biggest international events in our industry including Google I/O, Mobile World Congress, CES and IFA.